SLBC mishap: Ringing mobile phone helps locate trapped workers, but spot still inaccessible

Rescue teams fail to advance any further in the direction of the signal location because of the mounds of debris that blocked the passage inside the tunnel

Hyderabad: In a major breakthrough after over 48 hours as part of the ongoing rescue operations, authorities have identified the location of the workers and engineers trapped inside the SLBC tunnel project after the roof collapse.

The breakthrough came when the mobile phone of one of the engineers trapped inside started ringing in response to a call made by the rescue teams. This development helped in identifying the signal location before the phone fell silent once again.

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Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy revealed this information while expressing hope that the workers could be alive. However, the rescue teams failed to advance any further in the direction of the signal location because of the mounds of debris that blocked the passage inside the tunnel.

The search was intensified by engaging sniffer dogs, but they too failed to approach the identified location due to water logging that spread over a three-kilometre stretch. NDRF teams have used ‘flexi probe cameras’ equipped with specialised inspection devices designed to navigate and capture images or videos in confined and hard-to-reach spaces. These cameras can bend and manoeuvre through tight areas but were found to be of little use with the location of the accident beyond their reach.

Damaged boring machine an obstacle
The tunnel boring machine, which is completely trapped and broken into pieces, with one of the pieces swept away by one kilometre, proved to be a major obstacle for the operations. The mangled remains of the machine are being cleared to gain access to the site. The use of walkie-talkies was also tried out by the monitoring teams to coordinate with the personnel at work deep inside the tunnel. Glitches encountered in the process are being attended to.

Expert teams from Chennai and the Rathole Mining team from Delhi also reached the site to join the operations on Monday. For all the teams deployed, the sole problem was the debris that blocked the passage. As a result, 100HP motors were arranged to drain the water, after which the removal of the mud can be taken up. Clearing the debris and obstructions is the major task at hand, with National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams actively working inside the tunnel.

Help to be sought from US
The involvement of experts from the United States is being considered if needed to assist with the rescue operation. Venkat Reddy directed officials to make every possible effort to rescue the eight individuals trapped in the SLBC tunnel. The announcement was made following a high-level review meeting at the JAYPEE company’s camp office near the tunnel.

The review meeting was attended by representatives from the Robbins Company, L&T, tunnel works expert engineer, Chris Cooper, Special Chief Secretary (Disaster Management) Arvind Kumar and HYDRAA Commissioner AV Ranganath among others. Officials from the Indian Army, NDRF, representatives from the JAYPEE and Irrigation CE Ajay Kumar along with other senior police officials were all part of the strategies devised on site to reach the workers.